Rare Antique Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic And Regional Recipies [Paperback] THE MOOSEWOOD COLLECTIVE by The Moosewood Collective

Rare Antique Sundays At Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic And Regional Recipies [Paperback] THE MOOSEWOOD COLLECTIVE Reviews

• 
  Fred Conrad

  Lots of super delicious and fun recipes. There is one dish in here, Transylvanian Stew or something, that if you cook it following the specific Moosewood instructions you have to use every single pot, pan, bowl, spoon, cup, cutting board, measuring device, grater, blender, press, mill and dehydrator that you own and some you had to borrow from your neighbor.
  
  So the running joke is, i guess if you're from Transylvania you can dirty every dish you own and not care because you'll probably be dead by morning. And in the morning if you haven't been killed by a vampire you're so happy you don't mind spending six hours washing up.
• 
  7jane

  Each Sunday, a new ethnic or regional cuisine has its time to be the theme of the day. With a few exceptions, each cuisine presented here has both seafood and vegetarian recipes. In this book they are: Africa south of the Sahara, Armenia & the Middle East, British Isles, the Caribbean, Chile, China, Eastern Europe, Finland, India, Italy, Japan, Jewish food (Ashkenazi & Sephardic foods each having their part), Mexico, New England, North Africa & Northeast African highlands, Provence, Southeast Asia, and Southern United States. Each cuisine gets its own introduction, and most recipes also. There are no pictures.
  
  Besides the recipes, there is at the end some menu planning idea (with seafood dishes marked), ingredients list with explanation, techniques, tools, plus measurements list of some ingredients, and further reading (pre-1990 stuff). It is suggested that one might make different combinations from various cuisines, as long as one takes some care in seeing that they will match well.
  
  I think this is the thickest of my Moosewood books (a little over 600 pages), and thus took much time to read. I was pleased that they included my country (Finland) among the cuisines – though some of the dish names are not quite correctly written *lol*. In the Eastern Europe section we get a view of Yugoslavia times, before the war came on (this book is from 1990), and Czechoslovakia is still existing in it, too.
  
  You do get a feel that often the selections feel like starting-with-these bunch – with some more than with others - that you want more to be included, but then one can go looking further elsewhere. One will still get a good selection for day or two’s menu of the cuisine. At the end, when you read on the ingredients explanations, you might become aware that some availabilities and names have changed… you will hear ‘galanga’ more likely now than ‘laos root’, and when you come across ‘sriraja’, your mind goes to ‘sriracha’ quickly.
  
  You might also realise some cuisines are more to your taste, even just reading them, than others. I noted down page numbers of some interesting dishes, but didn’t always find anything standing out in certain cuisines, but then I’m picky and can’t eat nuts… British Isles section was surprisingly positive an experience to me, Caribbean was fruit-rich, Eastern Europe’s variety was nice, Finland was Finland :), New England section was informative. That’s what I remember!
  
  Judging by the number of those interesting dishes I noted, this book is worth it. I think that’s a good way to measure if the cookbook is worth keeping. In the pretty-decent category, certainly.
  
  (If you want to know, my picks from the Finland part were: Finnish rye bread, Finnish sweet bread, Yellow split pea soup, Cabbage and tofu over rice, Blueberry yoghurt pie.)
• 
  Karen Witzler

  Nice solid cookbook - Moosewood Collective was an innovative force in vegetarian/hippie cuisine in my youth and I enjoyed this later attempt to vegetarianize ethnic and regional cuisines. This incarnation is also pescetarian with several fine fish and shellfish offerings. I didn't like the Southern regional recipes at the end as much - try
  The Grit Cookbook: World-Wise, Down-Home Recipes.
• 
  Nicole

  I was given this cookbook in college by a friend, and I've made many yummy dishes from it over the years. However, it hasn't stood the test of time for me. The compilation of recipes from different regions makes it a bit scattered, with no core set of ingredients that you can buy then have on hand. This isn't a cookbook that you can browse with whatever happens to be in the fridge and find one that fits--it's one you pick a recipe from then buy specialty ingredients for. If you don't have many cookbooks, but enjoy a wide variety of flavors, this is a good buy and easily found used. If you have a larger collection, you might find it loosing ground to other cookbooks that go more in-depth into a particular cuisine or that features recipes that use ingredients commonly found in a well-stocked pantry.
• 
  Lynda

  If you are vegetarian, this a good but not great collection. I will not be keeping it.
• 
  Lia

  First off, this book is HUGE. Recipes are separated by chef and cuisine by country/region/culture (British Isles, Jewish, Provence, etc.). There are sections about menu planning, ingredients/techniques, and a reading list at the end of the book. A sampling of favorite recipes: creamy corn soup, Wynelle's pot pie, stuffed eggplant Provençal, scones.
• 
  Becky Koski

  This book has SUCH a wide variety of world wide recipes that when I first found it at a second hand bookstore, I wasn't sure where to start. I have slowly begun picking my way through it over the past year or two, and every single recipe I have tried is more delicious than the last. Since these are regional recipes- very specific to the areas they come from- there are lots of unusual spices and food combinations, but each chapter goes into great detail to not only explain anything out the ordinary, but also the origin of such recipes in their home countries. These tidbits are educational but can be easily skipped over if one is only interested in the recipes. Part of what I love about all Moosewood books is the idiot-proof factor: no matter how amateur you may feel as a cook, they make sure the recipes are simplified and well explained, with proportions well thought out, and anyone can make them. If you're looking for some new ideas, this is the book for you!
• 
  Amanda

  I love this cookbook. Utterly and completely. Almost as much as I love the great friends that loaned it to us while they are on an exciting life adventure. I have always enjoyed the Moosewood cookbooks but this one really brings it all together offering a huge variety of tried and true vegetarian recipes that use all the best ingredients from around the world. They don't expect you to have an entire arsenal of exotic ingredients, though it certainly wouldn't hurt. Every recipe I try, I savor and dream about. At the end of summer I found five different recipes of late harvest stews from around the world that used similar ingredients in a nuanced way that made each soup or stew it's own journey to a land where the native vegetables sing their own particular bouquet. For savvy users of vegetables, spices and somewhat exotic grains, this is a must have!
• 
  Ms.soule

  This cookbook is amazing! There is so much cultural information here, it's a joy to read. The recipes I've tried so far are also delicious and easy to follow if labor intensive.
  
  I made the Brown Bread from the Macedonian section - savory and delicious. I also made the Red Pottage from the British Isles section, which is also yummy if a mess to make with an immersion blender (they recommend a blender, so it's not their fault). I also made it a little easier on myself and did parts of this in the slow cooker - I think the whole thing could easily be done in the slow cooker if you sauteed the onions and celery before adding to the pot.
• 
  C.

  I thought Moosewood was all veggie, but there' some fish in here - not that I'm complaining, as I went pescatarian myself two years ago. This book does a very good job of covering the world, and much more intelligently than most; Africa is actually broken down into regions (who knew it was a continent, not a country!), as is Asia and Latin America, which is not only politically and socially but culinarily refreshing. Oh, and the food is fantastic.
• 
  Gwen

  Hands down, my favorite cookbook because of the variety and the fact that most dishes are vegetarian. I love reading each contributor's introduction to a cuisine and stories about the names of particular dishes (Yellowman's Banana Lime Bread and Best Peach Cobbler are standouts). Many are cuisines that we don't hear much about, like Chilean or Finnish. The recipes are easy to follow and most of the ones I've tried were very tasty. The index is excellent and there is a helpful glossary.
• 
  Kudisan Kai

  Great cookbook
• 
  Kelly

  This is a HUGE cookbook and there isn't one picture!! Most of these recipes are vegetarian and nothing really stood out to me, although the restaurant is very impressive!
• 
  LL

  Always love Moosewood cookbooks.
• 
  Sarah

  A fantastic cookbook from a fantastic source. Moosewood books are full of interesting, beautiful, delicious recipes using fresh and wholesome vegetarian ingredients, and occasional seafood recipes. They are well-written, with good instructions, educational explanations, and personal touches. They don't usually have pictures, but trust me, you don't have to see pictures to know these recipes will be good. Moosewood Sundays is a collection of ethnic/regional menus, with each section written by a person very knowledgeable about that particular cuisine. This has a great collection of not-often seen cuisines, such as British, West African, Eastern European, etc. I have cooked numerous recipes from this book and have never been disappointed. Because this is a collection of recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant's special Sunday dinners, they do tend to take more time/effort to prepare, but if you have the time, it's completely worth it.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I confess that I haven't tried a lot of the recipes in this book that was given to us years ago. However, the Rhode Island Corn Bread (inexplicably listed under "R" in the index) and the vegetable stock section (which is actually lists of what and what NOT to include and why) are the reasons that we keep the book in a prominent section on our cookbook shelf.
  
  The corn bread is quite grainy and rather flat but it is fabulous sliced and grilled, drizzled with olive oil, then served under barbecued vegetables and flank steak that has been thinly sliced in coins. (Yes, I know. Flank steak is NOT a vegetable. The Moosewood collective might be horrified.)
• 
  Nikki

  When I first got this cookbook I had three children living at home and because of my work schedule, didn't cook dinner all that often. Now, looking at the "look inside" feature on Amazon, I'm hoping I still have it because I think I'd like to try a lot of the recipes. I believe the tapenade recipe I've been making for years whenever I need an appetizer is from this book. I noticed to my surprise that there are some fish/seafood recipes included -- Moosewood is famous for vegetarian cookbooks but I guess there are some vegetarians who don't count fish as meat. You can get a copy for as little as $4 and it would be well worth while even if you aren't vegetarian.
• 
  Amy the book-bat

  I really like how this cookbook is set up. There are 17 regions/countries/ethnicities included in the book. Each section has an introduction to the area and the cuisine being covered, which is very informative. The recipes included in each section are separated by meal or course and each section has its own table of contents to make locating recipes easier. I am interested in culture and trying foods from other parts of the world, so this book really appeals to me.
• 
  Jacinta Carey

  I remember eating in the restaurant and being so impressed I immediately wanted to learn how to cook like that myself. I have cooked my way through this book from cover to cover with my husband and the African peanut stew and empanadas are a family favorite we make often. These recipes are a bit more complicated than in some of the other books they have produced, but the results are impressive and well worth the extra effort.
• 
  Jill

  Now this Moosewood cookbook I like. Simple recipies from a range of cultures, and easily attainable ingredients. Also takes away the intimidation factor for those wanting to experiment with Pan-Asian and Indian cuisines.
  
  If only the food served at the actual Moosewood were as good as most of these recipies...
• 
  Sheryl

  I end up using this book quite often at work, and I've recommended/purchased it for others who need to come up with creative vegetarian recipes on a regular basis.
  Not something I ever cooked from at home too much, but the personal stories are nice and some of the soup recipes, especially, are very good.
• 
  Valerie

  343501 A delightfully diverse cookbook organized by region/country. Sometimes a bit complicated and often with specific ingredient lists, it none the less is proving to be a great collection of recipes. And one you get around to making them, quite handy, such as the black bean ful which is not only delicious but easily storable (which is good, as these aren't recipes for one).
• 
  Michelle

  Excellent ethnic recipes for dishes from around the world. Try the brussel sprouts and carrots; I think this is in the UK section. My husband, who was totally turned off of brussel sprouts as he'd never tasted them when cooked properly, loves this dish. I typically make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
• 
  Laura

  My go-to cookbook for all of my CSA veggies. I can't open this cook book without finding something I want to make. A good variety of cuisines, many of which I don't see (or taste) on a regular basis. The cook book is vegetarian but even non-vegetarians should be able to find something intriguing. Love the variety of soups.
• 
  Kali

  I never like Moosewood cookbooks, and I should probably stop buying them. In this case, I found that none of the included recipes sounded better than those included in my "ethnic" (as in, "not American") cookbooks. It's never good when I go through every page of a cookbook and am not tempted to cook anything described therein....
• 
  Nyna

  The best vegetarian cookbook I have ever come across. But with it comes some work. The reason for the "Sundays" in the title is because you would not want to put this much effort into cooking every day. That said, each and every one of the recipes that I have tried in this cookbook has been worth every ounce of preparation.